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City and County of San Francisco
Commission of Animal Control & Welfare Archived Meetings

Meeting Information


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San FranciscoCommission of

Animal Control & Welfare

 

 

MEETING AGENDA

Thursday, February 12, 2009

5:30 PM

 

Room 408

City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

San Francisco, CA 94102-4689ss

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Laurie Kennedy-Routhier, David Gordon, DVM, Angela L. Padilla, Andrea Brooks, Sally Stephens
Philip Gerrie, Pam Hemphill, Vicky Guldbech, William Herndon, Bob Palacio

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Mailing Address:               City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 362

San Francisco, CA 94102

Commission Voicemail:     (415) 554-6074

Website:                                www.sfgov.org/awcc

Commission Chairperson:            Sally Stephens

 

 

 

 (Note: Public comment will be taken on each item.  Items are first introduced to the Commission, then there is public comment.  After public comment, the Commission may further discuss the item and vote if it is an action item.)

 

1.        Call to Order and Roll Call

 

2.       General Public Comment
Members of the public may address the Commission with comments or recommendations on items within the Commission’s jurisdiction other than the items on the agenda at the beginning or end of the meeting, but not both.

 

3.       Approval of Draft Minutes from the January 8, 2009 Meeting

[Discussion/Action Item]

 

4.       Chairperson’s report and opening remarks 

[Discussion Item]

5.       New Business

A)
Discussion and possible action to recommend to the Board of Supervisors that they commend the San Francisco restaurants that have stopped selling foie gras before the California statewide ban on foie gras goes into effect in 2012 and further that they encourage San Franciscans to avoid supporting this extreme form of animal cruelty.  [Discussion and possible Action]
[Commissioner Gerrie]

B) Discussion and possible action to recommend to the Board of Supervisors that they oppose the 9% sales tax on veterinary services proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger as part of a package of taxes on “luxury” items.  Veterinary care is an essential component of responsible pet guardianship and the professional services that veterinarians provide should not be taxed in the same way as if they were merely selling canned goods. The increased costs could cause people to delay needed veterinary care for their pets, increasing animal suffering and owner surrenders of pets at shelters because of the increased cost of care. [Discussion and possible Action]
[Commissioner Stephens]

6.       Unfinished Business

 


A) Discussion only of “No Kill” policies in San Francisco Shelters (also referred to as “Live Release” in earlier agendas). The Commission will continue its exploration of a policy that would ensure that no adoptable animal (including those that need medical and behavioral intervention but would be adoptable after that) is euthanized in San Francisco shelters. Speakers from various animal rescue groups have been invited to speak, including Sherry Franklin, head of Muttville, a group that strives to find homes for senior dogs. The discussion will continue in future months with additional speakers. [Discussion only]

[Commissioner Padilla]

B) Discussion and possible action to appoint a Commission representative to the Joint Zoo Committee of the Recreation and Park Commission. The Joint Zoo Committee, which has limited oversight of the San Francisco Zoo, recently agreed to include a representative of the Animal Control and Welfare Commission as a non-voting member of the Committee. [Discussion and possible Action]
[Commissioner Stephens]


7. General Public Comment

Members of the public may address the Commission with comments or recommendations on items within the Commission’s jurisdiction other than the items on the agenda at the beginning or end of the meeting, but not both.

 

8.     Items to be put on the Calendar for Future Commission Meetings

      [Discussion Item]

 

9.     Closing Review of Task Allotments and Next Steps

[Discussion Item] 

 

10.   Adjournment

 

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Disability Access:      Room 408 is wheelchair accessible. The closest accessible BART Station is Civic Center, three blocks from City Hall. Accessible MUNI lines serving this location are: #42 Downtown Loop, the #71 Haight/Noriega, the F Line to Market and Van Ness, and the Metro stations at Van Ness and Market and at Civic Center. For more information about MUNI accessible services, call 923-6142.

 

There is accessible parking at the following locations: two (2) designated blue curb spaces on the southwest corner of McAllister Street at Van Ness Avenue; the Performing Arts Garage (entrance on Grove Street between Franklin and Gough Streets), and at Civic Center Plaza Garage. 

 

To obtain a disability-related modification or accommodation to participate in the meeting, please contact Carla Vaughn at 252-2500 (voice) or 252-2550 (TDD) at least two working days prior to the meeting.

 

In order to assist the City's efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illnesses, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical based products. Please help the City accommodate these individuals.

 

Policy on Cell Phones, Pagers, and Electronic Devices: The ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers, and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices.

 

Know Your Rights Under the Sunshine Ordinance: Government's duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public.  Commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people's business. This Ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people's review. For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance (Chapter 67 of the San Francisco's Administrative Code) or to report a violation of the Ordinance, contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force.  The current Sunshine Ordinance Task Force Administrator, Frank Darby Jr., can be contacted at the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, City Hall, Room 244, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102-4689; Office (415) 554-7724; Fax (415) 554-7854; E-mail: [email protected] Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Task Force, the San Francisco Public Library and on the City’s Web site at http://www.sfgov.org/sunshine.

 

Attention: Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance (SF Administrative Code 16.520 - 16.534) to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at 1390 Market Street, #701, San Francisco, CA 94102, telephone (415) 554-9510; fax (415) 703-0121 and web site http://www.sfethics.org

 

Documents for Public Inspection: Any documents related to an item on this agenda that are distributed to the Commission in advance of the meeting are available for public inspection and copying at the Government Information Center, 5th Floor, SF Main Public Library, 100 Larkin St (at Grove), open seven days a week. They are also available on the Commission website: http://www.sfgov.org/awcc. 


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION FOR AGENDA ITEM 5A (2/12/09)

Suggested Resolution from Board of Supervisors

 

 

Resolution of the Board of Supervisors

City of San Francisco

Commending Restaurants that have Removed Foie Gras

 

WHEREAS, “foie gras,” or fattened liver, is the artificially enlarged liver of a duck or goose that has been force fed twenty percent of its healthy body weight per day for two to three weeks, resulting in a liver that is typically ten times its normal size; and

 

WHEREAS, Cal. Health & Safety Code § 25980, et. seq. will make it illegal to sell or produce foie gras in California , effective 2012. At least fifteen countries have banned foie gras production, and only a few still produce it; and

 

WHEREAS, a 2004 independent Zogby International poll of American adults revealed that 77% agreed that the process of force-feeding ducks and geese in order to produce foie gras should be banned by law in the United States; and

 

WHEREAS, virtually all animal protection groups recognize foie gras as inherently cruel, including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), In Defense of Animals (IDA), Farm Sanctuary, and the Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL);

 

WHEREAS, chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck recently implemented a nine-point animal welfare program for all of his restaurants, including those in San Francisco, that eliminates the use of eggs from battery cages, veal and pork from confinement crates, and foie gras, and adds healthy vegetarian selections;

 

WHEREAS, this Board has already passed resolutions favoring cage-free eggs, and 72% of San Francisco voters approved Proposition 2 in November 2008, in which California voters overwhelmingly banned other cruel factory farming practices such as battery cages, veal crates, and pig gestation crates;

 

NOW THEREFORE,

 

BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Supervisors of the City of San Francisco, that this Board, for and on behalf of the people of San Francisco, commends the many restaurants that have stopped selling foie gras before the California statewide ban goes into effect, and encourages San Franciscans to avoid supporting this extreme form of animal cruelty.